Monday, April 26, 2010

We're #...334! ENR Announces Top 500 Design Firms

Yes we're #334 on ENR's list of the Top 500 Design Firms for 2009, up from #413 last year!  The list, published annually in April, ranks the 500 largest U.S.-based design firms—both publically and privately held—based on design-specific revenue. 

According to ENR, the Top 500, taken as a group, had overall design revenue of $80.02 billion in 2009, down 11.7% from 2008’s figure of $90.85 billion. Domestically, Top 500 revenue fell 13.1%—from $68.14 billion in 2008 to $59.22 billion in 2009—while revenue from projects outside the U.S. dropped by 7.3%, from $22.44 billion to $20.80 billion last year.

Click here to read more.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Don Horine to Retire April 30 after 39 Years with GBA; Brad Burton to Take the Helm of the Civil/Site Development Group


Best wishes to Don Horine (above, left), GBA VP and Principal in charge of our Civil/Site Development Group, who will retire on April 30 after 39 illustrious years with the firm!  Senior Associate Brad Burton (right) will assume Don's position as head of the group.

Over the years Don has had a hand in shaping the landscape of communities throughout the KC Metro Area and beyond with projects that include:

Renner Ridge Corporate Center, a 75-acre business park and mixed-use development in Lenexa, Kansas;
Executive Park, a 1,200-acre business and industrial park in the Northeast Industrial District of Kansas City, Missouri;
Southlake Technology Park, a 310-acre planned business park in Lenexa, Kansas;
Lenexa City Center’s East Village and North Village, new urban mixed-use developments that encompass a total of 77 acres in Lenexa, Kansas;
The Falls, a 200-acre retail and recreational development in Independence, Missouri;
The Wilderness, a 460-acre upscale residential community in Overland Park; and
Sprint World Headquarters Campus, a 200-acre corporate campus in Overland Park, Kansas.

And many, many more!  Don is leaving the Civil/Site Development Group in good hands with Brad at the helm. A 25-year veteran of GBA’s Civil/Site Development Group, he will ensure continuity and continuing excellence as we move forward.

Congratulations to both Don and Brad as they launch into new and exciting endeavors!

The New Era of Suburban Development: Don Horine Shares His Thoughts in CJ Midwest Magazine

GBA’s Don Horine knows his stuff, and that “stuff” was the subject of an article that appeared in the February/March issue of CJ Midwest magazine. As a VP and Principal who heads up our Civil/Site Development Group, Don has worked closely with developers in the Kansas City area and throughout the Midwest. He definitely knows a thing or two about engineering planning and design work for developments of all types.

So when CJ Midwest asked Don to write about changes in suburban development, he jumped at the chance. The essence of the article is that we’re seeing a rapidly changing environment in which the era of sprawl, which began after WWII and lasted, basically, through the end of the 20th century, is being replaced.

The new era embraces “smart growth and encourages sustainability and energy efficiency in all types of development, from the design of conventional, single-use properties to the development of new, mixed-use communities.” What’s more, Don says “many cities and counties are adopting form-based codes as well as mixed-use zoning ordinances and design guidelines intended to control the character of developments rather than to establish land use types.” What’s involved? How have things changed? And how have they stayed the same?  You can read the full article here.